There are many ways to define and understand the term “plastic”. Plastic may refer to plastic polymers, or plastic polymers with added chemicals. Plastic may also refer to pre-production plastic material. Most commonly, however,“plastic” refers to end-products, such as plastic toys, straws, cups, bags and containers. For example, Cambridge Dictionary defines plastics as “things that are made from plastic.” 1

When it comes to plastic pollution, the focus is usually on plastic end-products and especially on plastic waste (usually the disposable items get all the attention, cups, straws, cutlery, bags, etc). The problem is, however, a lot broader than that. The plastics lifecycle includes extraction of raw materials; design and production (described below in more detail); packaging and distribution; use and maintenance; and recycling, reuse, recovery or final disposal, at which point it becomes plastic waste. However, plastics can escape into the environment at every stage of their lifecycle. During production, transport or conversion, plastic pellets or fibres may be lost. 2 Moreover, each stage of the plastic lifecycle carries various health and environmental implications, some already known, with a lot of uncertainties and data gaps. By focusing only on the last stages of the lifecycle, we are potentially overlooking the rest of the plastic pollution problem.